Introduction: The S15 season has ended completely, and the vast majority of players have been paying attention to the recent off-season. With the start of the LCK entertainment matches, the entire online community has been watching closely. Because of several factors, the LPL region has very few live accounts streaming, so viewers mostly get to see some advanced tactics and strong gameplay. After the first day’s matches, Gen became the center of online discussion. Unexpectedly, after losing their core dual carries, they consecutively lost to C9 and the Vietnamese team. Notably, their top laner Kiin was solo killed under tower by Vietnam’s Qiyana. By the end of the day, Gen was at the bottom of the standings.

Gen suffers consecutive defeats to Vietnam and C9, ranks last

Most players are quite familiar with Gen, a top-tier team from the LCK region. Their overall achievements have been outstanding, consistently securing excellent rankings for several years. This season was even more remarkable as they broke the winning streak record previously held by SKT. However, at the World Championship stage, Gen encountered some issues. After losing to KT in the semifinals, they missed the finals. Had they advanced, it would have been difficult for T1 to achieve a three-peat championship. Throughout the entire year, their only BO5 losses were against KT.

With the start of the entertainment K Cup, attention on Gen remained very high. This time, they sent out two rookies, while their core duo Chovy and Ruler rested and did not participate. The organizers interestingly scheduled their match as the opening game. After the first day, Gen performed terribly. Without their two top players, the remaining three seemed unable to compete effectively. Against C9, there was no room for strategic play; the game opened disastrously, with economic advantage dominated by C9. In just 26 minutes, Gen’s base was destroyed, and the kill score was 24 to 6, resembling a bot match.

The second match against Vietnam was even more absurd. The game lasted only eight minutes when Vietnam’s top laner Qiyana dove under tower to solo kill Kiin’s Rumble. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Aatrox in the top river also killed Gen’s jungle and support. At the same time, Vietnam secured three kills. By 17 minutes, Vietnam easily achieved a zero-for-five team wipe, gaining a huge economic lead. Before 28 minutes, Gen was pushed down again, with the kill score at 28 to 4. After the match, Gen quickly became the focus of criticism. A world-class team, after changing two players, lost consecutively to weaker teams and couldn’t even beat Vietnam.

Head coach Kim Jung-soo mentioned Gen’s problems in a previous interview. During this transfer period, he voluntarily left to join WBG. He stated that Gen is a team aiming for the World Championship title, but after two years of coaching, he hadn’t led the team to that goal and felt his own limitations, which is why he chose to step down. It’s unclear if there’s a deeper meaning behind this, perhaps that two years gave him a clear view of the team. Indeed, Gen consistently performs excellently in regional matches, and their mid laner Chovy has become an LOL player of the year. But problems arise when it comes to the World Championship.

Farewell thoughts

No one expected Gen to lose twice in a row to two weaker teams, and so decisively, like bot matches—one lasting 26 minutes, the other 28. Across both games, Gen only achieved ten kills. Although these are entertainment matches, their performance was clearly not serious. If this form continues next season, Gen may fall from grace, especially since HLE and T1 have very strong rosters.

What do you all think about this situation?